


Small Bump

by daegal



Series: Perfect [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, mpreg daegal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 07:30:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10680609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daegal/pseuds/daegal
Summary: Merlin gets Daegal knocked up.





	Small Bump

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy ;)

"Hey, sweetie" I said, leaning down to kiss my boyfriend's cheek. "I bought you lunch."

Daegal smiled up at me, a warm blush gracing his cheeks. "Aw, thank you. What'd you get?"

"McDonald's" I said, dropping the bag on his desk. "How's Arthur treating you?"

He shrugged. "He's not in a good mood today. I think he's upset because Gwen and Lance finally told everyone they were dating. I mean, he had to have seen it coming though."

"I guess he was purposely ignoring them" I said, kissing his forehead. "Besides, he'll be fine. He was the one who broke up with Gwen."

"Exactly" he agreed, resting a hand on my waist. "And it's been at least six months now."

"I hope he calms down a little" I said, smiling. "I'm gonna go back to work now, yeah? I have to book a meeting for Uther."

Daegal stood up to quickly kiss me. "Okay, I'll see you later."

"Stop making out!" Gwaine called from the other end of the room.

"Gwaine, shut your face. They're adorable!" Morgana argued back. "You're just upset because they didn't want to have a threesome with you."

He snorted. "Yeah, sad, but true. Offer still stands, boys."

"I'll pass" I said, laughing as I pressed one last kiss to my boyfriend's lips and walking to my desk. The phone rang as soon as I sat down and I sighed, answering it. "Hi, this is Uther-"

"Merlin, I need to talk to you" Arthur interrupted me.

I groaned. "Don't interrupt me, I sounded all professional. What do you want? Is this about Gwen and Lance, because Arthur, you had to have-"

"Oh my god, Merlin, just listen" he interrupted me again.

"Geez, you have no manners today" I commented. "Anyway, what's up?"

"I think there's something wrong with your boyfriend" he replied.

I frowned. "Really? He seemed fine just a few seconds ago. I gave him some McDonald's."

"Well, he's not fine. He full on vomited outside my window today" he told me, making me gag. "Like he was vomiting yesterday, but I thought maybe he just had a bug. And he's sick today again too."

"Aw, why didn't the little sweetie tell me?" I cooed, forgetting that people could hear me. I lowered my voice. "Wait, so you think he's sick?"

"Yeah, I guess. Either way, he's acting weird" he replied.

I sighed. "You'd think I would've noticed. We live together. He hasn't vomited the whole time."

"Maybe he doesn't want to worry you" he suggested. "I used to do that to you when we were dating as well. Actually, I think you did it too."

"Well, it's different when it's him" I said, trying to make sense. "Because he's so small and pure. He needs to be protected at all costs."

Arthur let out a sigh. "Okay, but figure out what's wrong with him. He's driving me nuts. He just keeps yawning and looking like he's about to cry and it's putting me off."

"Maybe he's not sleeping well" I thought out loud. "Don't worry, Arthur, I'll figure it out. Now, let me go, I need to book a meeting for your dad."

At the end of the day, I waited at Daegal's desk while he grabbed his leftover food from the staffroom. I smiled when he walked over to me. "Hi, gorgeous."

He grinned. "Hi, are we going now?"

"Of course" I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulders as we walked. "You alright? You look kind of tired."

He shrugged. "Haven't been sleeping the best. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Alright then" I said, upset that he hadn't told me about him being sick. I didn't want to confront him just yet, so I nodded. "You want takeaway? Or I can cook if you want."

"We can just get takeout" he said, smiling up at me. "It'll be quicker and I'm hungry."

Probably because he had been throwing up. I shook my head, trying to keep quiet. Arthur better have been playing a joke on me, because I wasn't appreciating being lied to by my own boyfriend. Especially such a cute one.

*

"So, did you find out what's wrong with him?" Arthur asked me, sipping his coffee during my lunch break.

I sighed, taking a bite of our leftover Chinese. "No, he told me he just wasn't sleeping. Which doesn't make sense. Why would he be vomiting and upset from that?"

"Well, whatever it is, he's not acting any better" he put in. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot" I said, scooping some fried rice into my mouth.

"You don't still bottom, do you?" He asked, making me choke on the rice. He hit my back. "Geez, it's a simple question."

Once I had recovered, I shrugged. "Well, no, but what does that matter?"

"I'm just thinking" he started. "Merlin, do you think that Daegal might be pregnant?"

This time I actually choked on air. "What, no? He's a guy, that's really not likely."

"Still could've happened though, think about it" he said. "You guys are sexually active, yeah?"

"I don't feel comfortable having this conversation with my ex boyfriend" I said.

"Just hear me out, I'm trying to help you. His moping is driving me nuts" he said, looking genuinely frustrated. "So you guys fuck, he's a bottom. He's vomiting, he's tired, he's moody. I mean, I don't want to be rude, but he has put on a bit of weight."

I pouted. "Yeah, but maybe he's just filling out. He's still young."

"It might be unlikely, Merlin, but it's possible" Arthur pointed out.

"God, you might be right" I groaned. "If he is, do you think he knows?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, he seems pretty aware of his state. Like obviously he can tell something's wrong. He might know that he's pregnant."

"If he is" I added. "God, what if he is? I'll be a dad."

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. As long as you make sure Daegal is alright" he said.

"Will it sound rude if I ask him if he's pregnant?" I asked.

Arthur snorted. "I don't know, probably."

"And don't push him. Even if he's not pregnant, he's sick, and he needs some rest" I said, standing up. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Don't say anything stupid" Arthur called out after me.

Daegal smiled when he saw me. "Hey, Merlin."

"Hey, baby" I said, sitting on the desk. "How are you feeling? You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good" he said, nodding. In a matter of two seconds, the poor boy was running to the bathroom.

I chased him, watching my boyfriend vomit up his guts, hunched over the toilet. I gagged. "Oh, God."

He paid no attention to me as I slowly rubbed his back. "Sh, it's okay, sweetheart. Let it out."

After a minute, he stopped, looking up at me with the most tired eyes. I shook my head, grabbing some toilet paper, cleaning up his face and closing the door. I didn't want anyone to see him like this. I pressed a kiss to his head. "Oh, sweetie. Why didn't you tell me you were this sick?"

"I didn't want you to worry about me" he croaked out.

I helped him stand up and used some more toilet paper to rinse his face. "Well, I'm very worried now. Honey, this isn't normal. Arthur told me you've been sick for a few days now."

"I know" he said, shaking his head. "Can I have a mint or something before we talk? I feel gross and my breath smells."

I sighed, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and leading him into the office area, where I grabbed the pack of mints from my desk and handed him one. I shook my head. "Okay, start talking."

"Well, I've been sick for a while now. Two weeks maybe. At first, I thought it was nothing, so I just ignored it, but then it got bad, so I booked a doctor's appointment" he explained.

"What'd the doctor say?" I asked curiously. "Do you have a disease?"

"Um, not exactly" he said, playing with his fingers. "I'm kind of pregnant."

"You're what?!" I asked, my eyebrows raising. I had known that it was a possibility, but I didn't think it would actually be true.

My brain went fuzzy and the next thing I knew, people were yelling in my ear. "Merlin, wake up!"

"Jesus Christ, Arthur, shut up" I said, sitting up, slowly opening my eyes. Wait, why was I laying down?

Arthur nodded. "Told you. The only way to wake him up is using force."

"Um, what's happening?" I asked, looking at everyone crowded around me.

"You fainted, love" Gwen said, frowning.

"I did? Oh, I did. Shit. Where's Daegal?" I asked, rubbing my eyes as I remembered everything that had happened. I was going to be a dad.

"Over with Morgana" Gwaine said, pointing to the corner of the room. I saw my boyfriend cradled in Morgana's arms, sobbing his heart out.

I groaned. "Oh, God. I need to make sure he's okay."

As I stood up, Gwaine caught me as I began falling. "Easy does it, Merlin."

"Sorry, I'm just a little dizzy" I told them before walking over to the pair.

Daegal looked at me, still crying. "Merlin! You're okay."

"Of course I am, sweetheart" I said, holding my arms out for him. The boy quickly left Morgana and crushed me in an embrace. I watched the girl leave as I rubbed my boyfriend's back.

"Are you angry?" He asked as he cried. "God, I thought I lost you. I thought you died."

I shook my head. "No, I'm alive, I'm healthy. I was just in shock. I'm not angry at all, I'm happy. Really. I just wasn't expecting you to say that you were pregnant."

"I was worried you'd be angry" he admitted as his tears subsided. "That's why I didn't tell you. I thought maybe if I waited a little, I'd get the courage to tell you, but I was too scared, Merlin."

"Sh, Daegal, it's okay. I forgive you. I'm just upset that you went through this by yourself" I told him. "Is your stomach feeling better?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Good" I said, peppering kisses to his forehead.

"Everyone knows" he said quietly, looking worried. "Everyone knows that I'm pregnant. I was crying when you fainted, and everyone was asking what happened and I was so distraught I couldn't keep it in. I'm so sorry, Merlin, I've been a terrible boyfriend lately."

"Don't say that, baby" I said, kissing the top of his head. "You're amazing. It's not your fault, okay? You did what you thought you had to do. And it's okay that they know, they would've found out eventually."

He dug his head into my shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too, honey" I said, smiling. "Come on, let's get out of here. Go grab your stuff."

I walked over to Arthur as my boyfriend went to the staffroom. "We're probably going to go early, if that's okay with you."

"Of course" he said, nodding. He slapped my shoulder. "Congratulations. And good luck."

"You'll need it. That boy is traumatised" Will put in. "Merlin, you're a dick for fainting on him."

I sighed. "I didn't mean to. Besides, I'll make it up to him somehow."

"A threesome" Gwaine winked at me.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming."

*

"Daegal, if you're sick again I really need you to tell me. Now that you're pregnant, you need to be careful" I said, rubbing his feet. "I looked it up. You're not even supposed to clean out the cat litter, okay?"

He looked at me, smiling. "I love you so much."

"Good, because I love you too" I said, continuing to massage his feet which were resting in my lap. "Really, you need to be cautious though. I don't want you to be stressed during this pregnancy. You were already stressed out enough when I fainted on you. Which was a dick move on my part, even if it wasn't my fault. And no more wine."

"Is that all?" He asked, stroking Kilgarrah's fur. "Is that all I can't do?"

I shrugged. "Well, you shouldn't go in the sun too much, or eat raw fish. And don't do anything stressful whatsoever."

"As long as I have you looking out for me, I think I'll be okay" he said, sitting up and kissing me slowly.

I wrapped my hand around his neck gently as I continued to lazily move my mouth against his. I let out a breath. "You're so precious to me."

He smiled softly and rested his head on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're going to be the father of my child. I wouldn't want anyone else."

I squeezed his knee lightly, smiling. "How far along are you?"

"10 weeks" he told me. "It was when we had sex and we couldn't be bothered grabbing condoms because I was so horny."

"I must have sperm of steel to get you pregnant on the first try" I said, laughing. "But you're not that far yet, are you?"

He shook his head. "A quarter of the way. We shouldn't have told anyone because miscarriages usually happen in the first trimester, which means we still have two weeks until we should've told people."

"That's okay, it's not that long. Only two weeks" I pointed out. "Oh man, Mum's going to be so happy. She loves you."

"I love her too" he laughed. "You know, I'm gonna need some bigger clothes soon. These ones are really getting tight."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me. I could've helped you" I said, running my hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry" he apologised, kissing my neck. "I shouldn't have kept it from you, you're the dad too. But, Merlin, I was so scared."

I breathed heavily. "It's okay. Just please tell me next time something happens."

"Of course" he said, kissing me again.

"Oh my god, Mithian is going to be so happy!" I said, grinning.

He smiled fondly at me. "You can tell her now if you want. There's no point, everyone already knows."

"That's true" I said, picking up my phone. "We'll invite her over."

When Mithian came over, she frowned. "You guys needed to tell me something? Are you getting married?"

"No, that would be a little fast" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's true" she said. "Oh, wait. It's something bad. I don't know if I can handle this."

"Sh, calm down" I said, rolling my eyes. "Don't be a drama queen."

She nodded. "So, what is it then?"

"Don't freak out" Daegal started. "But I'm pregnant and-"

"Oh my god! You're fucking pregnant!" She squealed, standing up and running over to us, hugging both of us tightly. "I am so happy for you two! I know how rare male pregnancy is and I'm just so happy for you! Can I be the godmother?!"

"Sure, you can be the godmother" I said, smiling at her.

"Are you guys excited?" She asked, finally calming down.

I nodded. "Of course I am. I'm going to be a dad."

"Yeah, but I'm nervous. I still have to give birth" my boyfriend pointed out, curling up against my body.

"That's scary" I said, finally acknowledging the fact that this would be painful for Daegal. I looked down at him. "I'd help you if I could. But I can't do anything, honey."

He nodded. "I know. And it's scary."

"Don't worry, you'll be okay" I said, kissing his forehead.

"I'll make some tea" Mithian said, smiling.

*

"So, congratulations" Uther said, walking up to my desk. "I heard that you're going to be a father."

I grinned. "Yep. A proud one too."

"It's great fun being a father. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I remember when Morgana and Arthur were born. They completely changed my life. You should expect yours to be changed too" he said.

I frowned, putting down some files I had been holding. "What do you mean? Good changes, right?"

"Well, some bad, some good" he said. "I had new joys in my life, more things to take care of. However, they're very draining. Obviously, you'll probably have it a lot easier considering you have Daegal. When Arthur was born, I lost Ygraine, so I never really had the support of a partner."

"I'll definitely try to support Daegal while he's going through everything too. I can't imagine what he's going through right now" I said. "I do want to be a happy family though, so I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"You're a good guy, Merlin" he replied, nodding. "Now, get those files on my desk by one or you're fired."

I sighed, nodding. I was living the life of a King.

During my lunch break, I walked over to see Daegal typing away at his computer. I smiled. "Hey, baby, how're you feeling?"

"Mm, stomach hurts" he whined, looking up at me. "I feel like death."

"Aw, sweetheart. Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked, kneeling down next to him and taking his hands in mine.

Arthur walked out of the office. "Oh my god, Merlin, are you proposing?"

I sighed. "No. Daegal just feels sick."

"Oh, you okay?" He asked, staring at my boyfriend. "If you're tired, you can go home."

He shook his head, looking at me. "No, I don't want to go home, I want to be with you."

"Sweetie, are you sure you'll be okay?" I asked, frowning. "You're really pale."

"I'm fine" he said, kissing my forehead.

I cupped his face, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before standing up. I turned to Arthur. "Are you going easy on him?"

"Of course I am. I might be a dick, but I have morals" he replied, shrugging.

"Have you had your lunch break yet, baby?" I asked, turning to my boyfriend.

He shook his head, stapling a few papers together. "No, not yet."

"Do you want me to pick up something now for you? I'm on my lunch break" I offered.

"Mm, yes please" he hummed, handing Arthur the paper. "Here's your meeting summary, sir."

Arthur nodded. "Ah, yes, thank you, Daegal. At least someone gets their work done around here."

I rolled my eyes, turning back to my boyfriend. "What do you want?"

"Chinese?" He asked, grinning up at me.

"Okay, I'll be right back" I said, walking out of the office building.

Once I had gotten my boyfriend some food, I frowned when he wasn't there. I turned to Arthur who was sitting at his desk. "Where's Daegal? And why are you sitting at his desk?"

"Because he's chucking up his guts in the bathroom" he said, gagging. "I didn't want to go in, but I have a better view here."

"Aw, poor thing" I said, putting the food down and going into the bathroom.

Gwen was sitting there, rubbing the boy's back. "Oh, Daegal! Merlin's here!"

He looked up, crying, the still hunched over the toilet. I crouched down, kissing his forehead. "You're okay, you'll be alright."

Contrary to my word, he began vomiting more. Gwen stood up, walking out of the room to give me space. However, like a good friend, she stood outside the door. I put my hand on the boys back, rubbing in small circles. As I did this, I also tried so hard not to gag. I had never been good with vomit, and just thinking about it made me sick.

Gwen walked up to me. "Here, I got some wet wipes."

"You're a saint, Gwen" I said, taking the packet into my hands. She also handed me a tissue box, then closing the door.

Daegal finally stopped vomiting and turned to me. "Merlin, I don't feel too good."

"Yeah, I got that" I said slowly, taking his face into my hands, cleaning up his mouth with some wet wipes and drying him off with some tissues. I helped him stand up. "Come on, you're going home."

"No, I don't want to leave you" he managed to get out as he cleaned his mouth at the sink.

I shook my head. "You have to. I don't want you here while you're like this. I'll call my mum to pick you up, is that okay?"

"She doesn't even know I'm pregnant" he pointed out.

"It's alright, just tell her you're sick and once I get home, we can tell her" I said, kissing his forehead. He rested his head on my shoulder snd I chuckled, running my hand through his hair. "You hungry? There's Chinese on your desk."

"Thank god" he said. "Do you have a mint?"

I pulled a box out of my pocket and handed him a mint. "Here, now come on, let's go."

He sighed, following me out of the bathroom. Arthur stood up. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Is if alright if I go home?"

"Jesus Christ, do you think I want you here while you're like this? Daegal, go home. Rest" Arthur said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Merlin, are you going with him?"

I shook my head. "No, I've got to get some files done for your dad. I'll ring my mum and she can take care of him."

When my mum finally came to pick up Daegal, I was tired. I frowned. "He's really sick, can you just take care of him until I get back?"

"Sure, honey" she said, taking him into the car with her.

When I sat down at the desk, I frowned. It was one thirty and I hadn't given Uther his files yet. I groaned. Now was a bad time to get fired. My boyfriend was literally pregnant. I walked up to Uther's desk, holding the files.

I held them out to him. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't realise how late it was and-"

"Merlin, what are you still doing here?" He asked, looking confused. "Everyone was talking about what happened to Daegal."

"Yeah, I know" I said, frowning. "But what does that have to do with me? He's already gone home."

"I thought you would've gone with him. Pregnancy makes people fragile. Especially when they're men. I expected you to be gone already" he said, shaking his head.

I raised an eyebrow. "Sir, you said you wanted these on your desk by one or I'd be fired. That's why I stayed. I don't want to lose my job."

Uther sighed. "As if I would fire you right now. I'm surprised you even managed to get these to me only half an hour late. Merlin, go home. Go be with your boyfriend. Arthur was complaining about how Daegal wouldn't go home because he wanted to be with you. That's why I assumed you went."

"Thank you so much, sir. But he went home with my mum" I explained, grinning. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

When I got home, I saw Daegal sleeping on the couch, a thin blanket covering his small frame. I sat down, putting a hand in his hair. He looked up at me, sleepily. "Merlin! You're home! Wait, what time is it?"

"Two" I said, leaning down to kiss him. "I left early. I couldn't leave you."

He moved so that his head was resting on my thigh. "Thank you, for the Chinese as well. That place is really nice. Or maybe I was just hungry."

"Oh, good, you're here" Mum said, walking in. "Why didn't you come home earlier?"

"I had a lot of work to do, Mum" I said, sighing and running my hands through my boyfriend's hair. "I can't really afford to lose my job right now."

She shook her head. "Yeah, I get it, but still. Daegal was really sick."

I sighed again, continuing to massage my boyfriend's scalp. "Mum, Daegal is pregnant. That's why he was sick, and it's why I don't want to get fired."

Her eyes watered. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm not joking" I said, watching her grin.

"I'm so happy for you two" she whispered. "I'm going to be a grandmother. Oh my god, this is amazing. How far along are you?"

"About 11 weeks" Daegal answered quietly, still looking tired. "I need to book another doctor visit. I went three weeks ago, but he wants one proper appointment per month."

I nodded. "Can you do it on a day that I can come with you? I don't want you going on your own again."

"Of course" he said, sitting up so that he could bury himself against my body.

"I'll make some tea" Mum said, already making her way to the kitchen.

"Make Daegal's with the herbal teas I bought" I called out after her. "Ginger's probably best, it helps his stomach."

Mum walked back in, raising an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You won't even let him drink normal tea?"

"It has way more caffeine than herbal tea, Mum" I pointed out. "You're not supposed to drink caffeine while you're pregnant."

"I drank tea when I was pregnant" she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, and look how Merlin turned out" Daegal said, laughing. He turned to my mum. "Look, I just want to be really careful. Male pregnancies end in miscarriage more often than not, and I don't want that to happen. So for now, I'm just going to stay off caffeine."

Mum nodded, smiling. "Of course, it's your body. I thought Merlin was just being controlling. You know how he gets."

"Oh, I know" he said, chuckling and kissing my cheek. "Love you."

"I love you too" I grumbled. "Stop teaming up against me."

*

"So, you're the other father then?" The doctor asked as I sat down.

I nodded. "Yeah, Merlin. Sorry I wasn't here last time, I didn't know Daegal was pregnant."

"Neither did he" the doctor laughed, shaking my hand. "Anyway, I'm Gaius. I just want to do a few checkups on you, Daegal. Lift up your shirt."

My boyfriend looked completely comfortable with what was going in and easily let Gaius do his work. The doctor spread a gel over his stomach as he began the ultrasound. I held Daegal's hand, pressing my lips to it. "You okay?"

He nodded, grinning. "Mm, I'm fine."

"That's your baby, right there" Gaius said, pointing at the screen of the ultrasound.

Daegal squeezed my hand. "Look, babe."

"Can you believe we made that?!" I said, looking back at him. "That's our baby."

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"Well, it appears to be in a healthy enough state right now, and you're almost finished the first trimester" Gaius said, nodding. "Unfortunately, Daegal, you are very small and that could prove a threat to the baby."

"How can I fix that?" He asked, looking worried.

The doctor shook his head. "Well, you're naturally small, so it's not your fault and there's not much you can do. What you should do though is make sure you're eating enough. You'll be needing to eat a lot more than you normally do because your baby is not small right now in proportion to your body."

"I'll make sure he eats, don't worry" I said, nodding. "Does that mean the baby will be born healthy?"

"I can't promise anything, but probably" he said, nodding. "As long as you keep up your appointments and take good care of yourself. Try not to stress out. And if anything at all seems wrong to you, call me."

Once we were done with the appointment, I turned to Daegal. "You wanna go get some ice cream?"

He shrugged, grinning up at me. "I don't know. If you want some."

"Come on, let's go" I said, grabbing his hand and interlocking his fingers with mine. "So, I've been thinking, we should turn the spare room into the nursery."

He nodded, walking with me. "It would make sense. We have to clean it all out though. To be honest, we need to clean out the whole flat if I want it to be safe and clean for a baby."

"We can do that" I said, kissing his forehead. "Don't worry about it. I want to go shopping already, but it's too soon. I'm just so excited."

"I just want to know if it's a boy or girl" he pointed out. "I won't care either way, but I want some names."

I continued to lead him down to the ice cream shop. "What kind of names are you thinking?"

"I don't know" he said, shrugging. "I like the name Cleo for a girl. Or Asher for a boy. And who's last name are they taking?"

I shrugged. "I don't care. It'll either be Emrys or-"

"I want Emrys" he interrupted. "That way, they're a part of you too."

"You're such a dork" I chuckled, moving up to order. "What flavour do you want, sweetheart?"

"Oh, Nutella, please" he said, looking up from the baby he had been staring at.

I ordered a mint chocolate and Nutella for the both of us, paying, before turning to Daegal. "You alright, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, just look at the baby over there" he said, nodding his head to the right. "We're going to have one soon. Can you believe that?"

"It's so big" I observed, accepting the ice creams the employee handed me. "Thank you."

Daegal took his ice cream out of my hand. "Obviously our baby won't be that big when it's born. The doctor said it wasn't small for my size though, so I'm worried I'm going to have a massive belly."

"I think it's cute" I said, grinning. "Besides, it won't be for long and no ones going to judge you for looking pregnant."

*

"Merlin!"

I sighed, seeing Arthur walk up to me. "What did I do this time?"

"You got your boyfriend pregnant and now he won't stop crying!" He said, holding out his hands in frustration.

"Aw, why's he crying?" I asked, standing up. "Where is he?"

"I wish I knew why he was crying" he said. "And he's sitting at his desk with all the female staff who're in love with him. Like I'm just trying to work and all of a sudden there's a bunch of girls sitting at his desk trying to get him to stop crying. Why no one has gotten you, I don't know."

"Alright, I'm coming" I said, following him until I saw my boyfriend surrounded by about five girls. "Hey, everyone go away."

Some of the girls frowned, walking away whilst other, Morgana and Gwen, decided to stay. Daegal looked up at me. "Merlin."

I kneeled down next to him, resting my hands on his knees. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Why're you crying?"

"He won't tell us" Morgana said, sighing. "He's not talking."

Arthur groaned. "Just let Merlin talk to him, Jesus Christ."

"Come on, honey, what's wrong?" I asked, grabbing his hands instead now.

"I saw a photo of twin babies" he said, sobbing.

"And that made you upset?" I asked.

He nodded, sniffling loudly. "Yeah."

"Because we're having a baby?" I guessed.

"No" he said, shaking his head. "Because we're only having one baby. What if it gets lonely? If it doesn't have a twin?"

His sobbing had become louder, so I stood up, pulling him with me to draw him close to my chest. I rubbed his back. "Sweetheart, babe. Our baby won't get lonely. It'll have you and I. It won't need a twin."

"But they looked so happy in the photo" he cried into my shirt. "What about when they're older? And they don't have any twins to play with?"

"Honey, they'll have friends when they're older. We don't need twins, okay?" I pointed out. I finally let out a sigh. "And if you really want it, we can have another baby later on."

He stopped crying, looking up at me. "Really?"

"Of course" I said. "Whatever you want."

"I'm going to go to the bathroom to clean myself up" he said, smiling now, kissing my chin.

I frowned, watching him walk away. "Oh my god."

"You basically just sold your soul to him" Arthur said. "He literally has you wrapped around his finger."

"It was cute" Morgana put in.

I sighed. "I know, but cute doesn't mean that two babies is a good idea. Now I'm worried he'll want twenty babies."

"That would also be cute" Gwen pointed out.

"You'd have to babysit them all" I told her.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm pretty sure he won't want another after he gives birth. So I wouldn't worry if I were you, Merlin. Also, I've been meaning to ask, when is Daegal going to take maternity leave?"

"He's a dad, it's paternity leave" Morgana said, rolling her eyes.

"I mean, we spoke about it" I started, but Daegal was already walking back over to me. I kissed his forehead. "Hey, sweetie, you feeling better?"

"I'm good" he said, nodding. "What are you guys talking about?"

"When you're thinking of leaving" Arthur stated. "I'm not sure if you know, but parental leave is eighteen weeks pay, and partner leave is two weeks pay."

He shrugged. "I was just thinking of quitting."

"What do you mean? Quit?" Arthur asked slowly. "Like quit your job?"

"Well, I don't want to go back to work when my baby is one. I want to spend more time with them than that" he said. "This job is an everyday thing, it's not like twice a week."

Morgana raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but will you even have enough money?"

Daegal's eyes watered. "I don't want to have to explain myself to you! It's my baby and my body, okay?!"

I brought him to my chest. "Daegal, they're just trying to help, yeah?"

He cried into my shirt again, making me sigh. It was probably drenched by now. Arthur bit his lip. "Maybe we can help you out."

"What do you mean?" He asked, pulling away from my chest slightly.

"Well, it's like I said. You get eighteen weeks pay leave. You're allowed to leave like six weeks before your due date. So if you take your leave a couple weeks before you give birth, you'll be able to have pay. And at the end of the eighteen weeks, you can resign if you want to."

"We'll think about it" I said, smiling. "And Morgana, yes, we'll have enough money, don't worry."

Daegal glared at her. "Or maybe not. Since we're just peasant assistants."

"Sh, calm down" I said, kissing his forehead. "Take a break, love."

"I never said you were peasants" Morgana said.

Gwen nodded at me. "Morgana, maybe we should go."

The other girl nodded. "Yeah, alright. I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, Daegal, you should take your lunch break" Arthur suggested.

The boy nodded, too tired to talk back. He turned around. "Thank you, Arthur."

"Is he alright?" Arthur asked me, watching him go into the staffroom.

"I guess" I said, frowning. "He's just finished his first trimester, so at least a miscarriage is unlikely now. But I don't want him stressing out, and he's very obviously stressed right now."

"And when he does calm down, something else happens" Arthur observed.

I nodded. "Yeah, but that's only when people are around. Like when he's with me, there's no one to upset him. I try not to say anything bad, because he's kind of sensitive right now."

"But will you guys be okay with money?" He asked, concerned.

"Be careful, it sounds like you have emotions" I said, grinning. "But don't worry, we'll be fine. As long as we don't go overboard on things, I'm sure we can afford everything we need."

*

Morgana's way of apologising for upsetting Daegal actually had nothing to do with saying sorry. Instead, she threw a massive surprise pregnancy announcement party at work for the two of us a week later. Daegal looked at me. "Um, it was nice of her."

"I know, I know" I said, kissing his forehead. "I'm just tired. I was planning on sleeping once we got home."

He smiled softly. "We'll be home soon, it's okay."

"I love you" I said, knowing that we weren't going to get anymore alone time anytime soon.

He grinned. "I love you too."

"Ah, Merlin! Father of the year!" Gwaine said, hugging me tightly. "Congratulations on the baby! You too, Daegal!"

"Is he drunk?" Perceval asked, sighing.

Gwaine let go of me to hug Percy. "Yes. Drunk in love!"

"Ew, get off me!" He said, laughing as he threw the other man off him. He turned to my boyfriend and I. "Anyways, congratulations. You're going to be dads soon. That's exciting."

"Don't bother, they're not into threesomes" Gwaine supplied, nodding to his best friend.

Leon laughed, walking over to us. "Gwaine, slow down on the drinks, mate."

"You know I can hold my alcohol" he replied, winking at the man.

"It's not even a party and you're already drunk?" Morgana asked him, folding her arms over her chest.

He shook his head. "Mm, no, just tipsy."

"Why is there even alcohol here?" Leon asked, frowning. "Alcohol is the last thing someone needs at a pregnancy announcement."

"Daegal's really bad with alcohol in general" I said, wrapping my arm around his waist.

He grinned. "At least I know my limits."

When we got home, my boyfriend turned to me. "My feet hurt."

"Here" I said, sitting down on the couch and patting my lap. "You want a massage?"

His face split into a grin as he flopped down onto the couch and threw his legs onto me. "You're a saint."

"We need to go shopping for you" I reminded him, pulling off his shoes and socks.

He groaned. "I know. Even my shoes don't fit me. Who knew that being pregnant gave you massive feet?"

"Hey, they're not that big" I said, taking one into my hand. "Jesus, they're so cold."

"Sorry, but you can get cold feet while you're pregnant" he said, wriggling his toes. "Now I have to steal your shoes, they're so big, oh my god."

I pouted, massaging his feet now. "Hey, my feet aren't that big either. My feet are lovely."

"Yeah, sure" he said, rolling his eyes. "I want this baby out already and I've only just finished my first trimester. How am I supposed to survive?"

"You'll be okay" I said, grinning softly at him. "Promise I'll take care of you."

He smiled. "So are we changing my old room to be the nursery?"

I nodded, warming up his feet with my hands. "This flat isn't a bad place to have kids. Especially if it's only one baby."

"But I want another baby too" he said, pouting.

I leaned down to kiss his pout away. "Sweetie, you just said you couldn't wait to give birth. You want another baby?"

"I don't want our baby to be lonely" he said, frowning. "Come on, you said we could have another baby. You can't go back on your promises."

"I never promised anything, Daegal" I said, shaking my head.

The boy whimpered, beginning to cry. "You don't want another baby with me?"

"Of course I do" I said, letting go of his feet and bringing him to my chest. "We just need to think about the timing and money."

"What do you mean?" He asked, resting his head on my shoulder, letting out loud sniffles. "We don't have a bad pay."

I kissed his forehead. "Yeah, but thing is, we're making around nine grand a month, right? But once your parental leave pay ends, we're only going to be making four and a half grand. Which means we need to figure out when we want another baby. If we have one, we'll need a bigger flat."

"Yeah, I guess" he agreed, wrapping his arms around my neck. "But I just want two babies. I wish I was having twins."

"Should we make a deal?" I asked him, rubbing his back.

He nuzzled his head into my neck, almost making me let out an aw. "Merlin, what's the deal?"

"If in a year after this baby is born, you still want another one, we can do it" I proposed. "That way, the baby should be born when our first one is two."

"Deal" he said, kissing my neck and burying his feet under my thigh. "Love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."

"Do you think we're too young to have a baby?" He asked quietly.

I frowned, turning to look at him. "No, why would you think that?"

"Well, I'm only twenty three" he stated. "Tons of people my age are still out partying and I'm pregnant and what if I can't take proper care of our baby?"

"You might be twenty three, but I'm thirty one, which is old enough for a baby. I'm sure you're a fine age to have a baby, it's not like you're a teenager" I pointed out. "Either way, you're knocked up and we're going to raise the baby together."

He smiled again, playing with the hair on the back of my neck. "You're a good boyfriend."

"I try" I said, grinning.

*

"Ugh, why don't they make men's maternity clothes?!" Daegal groaned, frustrated out of his brain. "None of these clothes fit properly because if they're big around the stomach, they're big everywhere! And I'm not a big person, so massive sleeves don't help me!"

I took his hand in mine. "Sh, calm down, honey."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" He said, yanking his hand away from me. "I'm so annoyed."

"I know, I know" I said, gently. I let out a sigh. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Just don't be angry, okay? Tell me how I can help you."

His bottom lip wobbled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

I wrapped my arms around him. "Sh, don't worry. I'm not upset, okay? I'm just feeling bad for you. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know" he whispered, obviously trying not to cry.

"Look, we can shop around for a little bit longer. I promise you we'll find some clothes, yeah" I said, kissing his forehead.

He nodded. "Okay."

"Wait, why don't we just buy stuff from the women's section?" I asked, shaking my head. "Oh my god, why didn't I think of that earlier?"

Daegal was very happy, which made me very relieved, when he found a number of clothes that fit him from the women's maternity section. He was even happier when he found that they had maternity business button ups.

Gwen and Morgana seemed to find this adorable. Morgana squealed. "Oh my god, I love your shirt! It's so cute. Where'd you get it?"

"It's fucking maternity, Morgana. Why would you need that?" Arthur said, shaking his head. "Unless you have something to tell us."

"Don't be daft, Arthur, I was just complimenting Daegal on his shirt" she said, grinning.

Gwen nodded, grinning. "You do look very good."

"Thank you" my boyfriend said, blushing.

"Can I feel your belly?" Morgana asked, politely.

Daegal bit his lip. "I mean, the baby isn't kicking yet. And my stomach isn't that big yet."

"Yeah, but you're still pregnant" she pointed out.

His eyes started watering. "Are you calling me fat?"

"No, I swear, I just meant that all pregnant people have bellies" Morgana tried to save herself. "You were always talking about you trying to gain weight before."

My boyfriend turned to me, ignoring Morgana. "Merlin, am I fat?"

"Sweetie, no" I said, shaking my head. "No, you look amazing."

He rubbed at his eyes. "I wanna go home."

"You're completely welcome to" Arthur said softly. "As long as you get the spreadsheets done at home, you can leave now."

"Daegal, I'm so sorry, you know I didn't mean it like that" Morgana apologised.

"I'm sorry" he said, shaking his head. "I just feel weird with people touching my belly right now."

She nodded. "Of course, I completely understand."

"Do you want to take the car?" I asked, pulling my keys out of my pocket.

My boyfriend accepted the keys, frowning. "How will you get home?"

"I'll catch the train" I said, smiling. "Here, you go home, sweetheart. Order dinner for when I get home, yeah? I'll be back before six."

He smiled, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "Bye."

When I got home that night, I found Daegal resting on the couch, eating marshmallows and watching Brooklyn nine nine. I smiled down at him. "Hey, baby. You feeling any better?"

He nodded, looking up at me. "Yeah, I booked another appointment for us. On a Saturday so that you can come."

"Oh good" I said, taking off my tie and throwing it on the ground to sit down next to Daegal. "You order food yet?"

"Yeah, I got Chinese food. It'll be here in around ten minutes" he said, looking down at his phone. "Anyways, Gaius said that when we go, he'll be able to tell us what gender the baby is. Because I'm sixteen weeks pregnant right now, and I'll be seventeen when we go."

"That's so exciting" I said, holding back all my words about constantly having to eat Chinese every week.

"How was the rest of work?" He asked me, putting his legs in my lap.

I rubbed his calves, pressing a kiss to his knee. "Slow. Gwaine got his hair stuck in the photocopier machine, and it was a mess. The whole thing shut down, so now all of us are behind our work."

My boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "How do you get your hair stuck in a photocopier?"

"You know what, I have no idea. But it's Gwaine we're talking about here" I pointed out. "Do you want a boy or girl?"

"Both" he said, smiling cheekily at me. "Don't look at me like that. Fine, I want a girl, but as long as the baby is healthy, I don't care. Why, what do you want?"

"I want a boy" I said, smiling. "But like you, I want a healthy baby either way."

He shrugged. "Well, I think I'm having a boy, but I want a girl."

"How can you tell?" I asked, frowning.

"Just a feeling" he said, taking his legs out of my lap to scramble closer to me and press his lips to mine.

My mouth moved with his as I licked his bottom lip with my tongue. He parted his lips, letting my tongue in as he clashed his tongue with mine. I put my hand on his crotch, rubbing him through his pants. He squealed, pulling away. "No, the delivery man will be here any minute."

The doorbell rang and I sighed. "Now, I have to go answer the door with a boner."

"It's not my fault you got a boner from five seconds of making out" he said, chuckling.

*

"So, you guys will be having a boy" Gaius said, smiling at us.

Daegal grinned, squeezing my hand. "See, you wanted a boy."

"And you thought you were having a boy" I pointed out. "I'm so excited. Let's go buy clothes! Oh and now we can decorate the nursery. Oh, we need to paint it!"

Gaius laughed. "Alright, slow down. Make sure Daegal doesn't do the actual painting."

My boyfriend frowned. "Aw, why not?"

"The paint fumes can be toxic to your unborn baby" Gaius explained. "As long as Merlin does it, and opens the windows, you guys will be fine."

"Oh, well if it's harmful, I don't want to do it" he decided, nodding. "That's alright. Merlin can do it. Right?"

"Course" I said, kissing his nose.

At the shops, I couldn't handle it. There were so many cute clothes and supplies that I couldn't decided properly on what we needed. I nodded. "We should've written a list or something."

Daegal pulled out his phone, getting something up on the screen and handing it to me. I nodded. "Oh, you did write a list."

"I was bored" he stated, shrugging. "You do weird things when you're pregnant."

I looked at the writing, shaking my head. "I can't believe babies need all this shit. Like why the fuck do they need a bassinet and a cot?"

My boyfriend rolled his eyes. "I know that you know the answer to that. And we really should've seen this coming."

I grinned. "Yeah, true. I'm just happy our baby is healthy."

"Mm, me too" he said, grinning back. "Anyway, should we start shopping."

"Wait, is our baby supposed to be small or what?" I asked, frowning. "What size?"

He shrugged, grabbing a trolley. "Well, Gaius said that the baby is not in proportion to my body, which I'm assuming means around an average baby size. But four zeros is what's normal for newborns."

"Our baby won't be smaller than that, right?" I asked. "And can we please think of names? I'm sick of calling it our baby."

"No, I don't think it'll be smaller. Although it may be safer to buy a few five zeros just in case" he answered. "And yes, do you have any names in mind?"

"I remember you said Asher. I was thinking something simpler though" I said. "Like James."

He shrugged, stopping to look at some onesies. "I like Oliver."

"I like that too" I put in, grinning.

When we got home, we had what looked like a mountain if baby supplies. We hadn't yet bought the furniture, but we did buy everything else. The flat was full of baby clothes, nappies, baby bottles, and blankets, and Daegal was really happy about it.

He sat next to me on the couch. "Aren't you just so excited?"

I nodded, kissing his forehand. "Of course I am. So excited."

"Hey, what do you think of cloth diapers?" He asked, titling his head curiously, an intense stare settling on his face.

"I don't really know much about them" I answered. "Why, are you thinking of using them?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, they just looked cool."

"Yeah, I heard they work out cheaper" I informed him. "I just don't know how I feel about them."

*

Daegal stopped the trolley one day while we were out buying groceries. I frowned. "Sweetheart, you okay?"

He grabbed my hand, lifting his shirt and placing it on his lower abdomen. "Can you feel it?"

I then felt little kicks against my hand. I looked up at him. "Oh, the baby's moving!"

He grinned, smiling. "I was worried he wasn't going to. They're supposed to by week twenty and I'm nineteen right now."

Once the kicking stopped, I removed my hand and pressed my lips to his in a sweet kiss. "That's so amazing."

"I can't wait to see him now" he said, folding his shirt down. "But I'm not even halfway yet."

"That's okay, it'll be worth it" I pointed out.

"Can you please keep your PDA to yourself? My daughter is right here."

We both turned to look at a middle aged woman, holding a baby. I raised one eyebrow. "She's literally illiterate. Why would you have a problem with a baby being around people kissing? In fact, we have a baby coming along too."

"It's not people, it's gay people I have a problem with" she let us know. "And yes, I can see the stomach. That's disgusting."

Daegal's eyes watered and I grabbed his hand, turning back to the woman. "Thanks. So how far along are you?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"How far pregnant are you?" I reworded. "You're looking pretty big, seven months?"

"I'm not pregnant!" She gasped. "You gays have no respect for the straight people."

I rolled my eyes, squeezing Daegal's hand. "Yeah, sure, lady. We're going to go now, okay? And stop holding your baby like that, it's disgusting."

"What do you mean it's disgusting?!" She demanded. "It has nothing to do with you how I hold my daughter!"

"Just like my boyfriend's stomach. It has nothing to do with you, so I don't appreciate you calling that disgusting" I pointed out. I kissed Daegal's check. "Come on, let's go."

When we had walked away a little, my boyfriend turned to me. "Why do people hate us? Just because I got pregnant?"

I shook my head, wrapping arm around his waist. "No, honey, it's not you. It's just that some people are still homophobic for some reason."

"I thought everyone would've been over that by now" he said, not looking as upset as before. He smiled softly. "My mum hated it when people made fun of me for being gay."

"You never talk about her much" I said, hoping to bring up some good memories as we kept walking.

He smiled, stopping the trolley to look at some cucumbers. "Yeah, well you never talk about your dad. And we've been together for almost a year now."

I chuckled. "My dad's name was Balinor. He passed away when I was eight, but he was cool."

"My dad died when I was eight too" he informed me. He then looked down at his belly, smiling and pressing a hand to it. "He's moving again."

"It's because my voice is so soothing" I said, grinning. "Besides, are we going with Oliver?"

He nodded. "I really like Oliver, if you're okay with it. And also, I think baby Oliver needs some chocolate."

I rolled my eyes, kissing his forehead. "Well, since he needs some, I guess we'll just have to buy it."

After feeling the baby move for the first time, Daegal seemed to get excited whenever he would feel the same kicking again. One day, Arthur raised an eyebrow at the boy while we were out for drinks. "You gassy, or something?"

"Shut up, don't talk to him like that" I said, resting a hand on Daegal's thigh.

"I'm not talking to him like anything. I just want to know why he looks so happy. It's weird" Arthur stated. "Especially for a pregnant person. They're supposed to be all moody and shit."

"Arthur, stop talking like that!" Morgana gasped.

"I'm not the one who called him fat a few weeks ago" he sassed back.

Morgana growled. "I never called him fat. Gwen, you were there. I didn't, right?"

Percival groaned. "Can we not fight about this? Daegal's not fat, end of story."

"Okay, but why are you so happy?" Arthur asked my boyfriend.

Daegal smiled, patting his stomach fondly. "Because my baby's kicking."

"Oh, that's so cute!" Gwen said, squealing. "Can I feel?"

My boyfriend shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Uh, he's not really kicking right now. It would be kind of weird just rubbing my belly."

"Come on, just let us feel it" Morgana pouted.

I sighed, shaking my head. "No, if he doesn't want you to touch his stomach, then don't touch it. Even if the baby is kicking."

"You're right, I'm sorry, Daegal" Gwen apologised immediately.

"No, don't feel bad, it's not your fault, Gwen" my boyfriend said, smiling at her.

Arthur looked over at me. "Hey, Merlin, can I talk to you? In private?"

I frowned, following him into the corner of the pub. "What's up? Is it about Daegal?"

"No" he said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I got a boyfriend."

"Oh, who is it?" I asked, excited. "Do I know him?"

"Yeah, kinda" he said, biting his lip. "It's Leon."

I looked over at the table, watching Leon laugh at Gwaine. "You know what, I would never have picked you two to be dating. Why haven't you told anyone?"

"I don't know, I just want to be sure before the office finds me stumbling out of the supplies closet with a boyfriend like you did" he said, winking.

"Well, congratulations" I said, grinning. "It's good you managed to get with someone more stable than me."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yeah, heaven knows how Daegal puts up with you."

I looked over at the table again. "Wait, where is Daegal?"

"We should go ask the girls. They'll know" Arthur said, walking back to the table. "Guys, where did Merlin's beloved go?"

"Bathroom" Morgana answered, smiling. "Didn't look too good though."

"Oh, thanks, I'll go check if he's alright" I said, making my way to the other side of the pub and into the bathrooms. "Daegal, you here?"

The boy walked out of the stall, crying. He hugged me tightly. I frowned, squeezing him. "Oh my god, what's wrong? Did someone do something to you?"

"Please don't leave me" he said, gripping the back of my shirt and clawing at it. "I know you don't like me as much, but Merlin, we're having a baby and we can be happy together. I promise, I'll be really nice to you if you stay. I won't hog the blankets anymore or make you give me foot massages. You can even make me sleep on the couch if you want."

"Daegal, what on earth are you saying? Of course I want to be with you and I want to have our baby. And you never make me give you foot massages" I said, kissing his forehead. "Why would I make you sleep on the couch? I'd never leave you."

"So you're not leaving me for Arthur?" He asked slowly, tilting his head to look up at me. "You want to stay with me instead?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would I want to be with Arthur? He's a dickhead."

"Yeah, but he's nice a lot of the time" he pointed out. "And you used to date him."

"We broke up for a reason, sweetheart" I said, shaking my head. "Is this because I was talking to him?"

He buried his head in my neck. "Yeah, a little bit."

"Daegal, he was telling me that he got a boyfriend, not that he wanted to get back together" I told him, running my hand through his hair, trying not to grimace at the wet feeling against my neck.

He sniffled. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were going to leave me and get back with him, and I didn't want to raise a baby without you. These hormones are really getting to me. I keep feeling things that I don't normally feel and I'm always crying."

"It's normal, you're pregnant" I said, rubbing his back. "You're really special to me, Daegal. And I will not leave you. Especially not for Arthur."

"I love you" he said, looking up at me again, tears running down his face.

"I love you too" I said, kissing him. "You're so beautiful."

*

"Happy baby shower!"

I let out a manly shriek, before turning to see Morgana, a bunch of people behind her, grinning. I held my hand to my chest. "Oh my god, you scared me!"

Daegal grinned, walking up behind me. "Hey, Morgana."

"We threw you a party" Arthur said, nodding. "I didn't know surprise baby showers were a thing, but uh, surprise."

"Aw, thank you" my boyfriend said, grinning brightly.

Gwen smiled, helping daegal with the grocery bags. "We know that you guys are getting pretty far along, so we thought we'd help you out. Everyone bought some presents."

"That's so sweet of you" I said, hugging her after putting all our bags down. I turned to my boyfriend, but found that he wasn't there anymore. "Where did Daegal go?"

"All those girls down there are talking to him" Morgana said, pointing into the living room.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he's talking to girls. He knows that's dumb, I can't compete with girls."

"Honey, I don't think any of those girls are actually trying to get with a pregnant man" Morgana said, shaking her head.

"Are you saying someone wouldn't want my boyfriend?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Morgana frowned. "Isn't that what you wanted to hear?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, kinda. I mean, I want no one to be in love with him, but I think that people should be because of how wonderful he is."

A few seconds later, my boyfriend was waddling over to me, hands resting on his belly. I smiled down at him. "You alright, sweetie?"

He grabbed my arm, wrapping it around my own shoulder. "Yeah. It's just that my back hurts."

"I'll give you a massage later, yeah?" I said, kissing his forehead. I smiled as I saw Arthur and Leon talking in the corner of the room, wondering how I hadn't noticed that they were together earlier.

"Should we open presents now?" Morgana asked, grinning. "They're all wrapped up and everything. Well, everything except for the pram, for pretty obvious reasons."

"Honestly, thank you so much, Morgana" I said, shaking my head. "And Gwen. I can't believe you guys would help us out so much."

Gwen smiled. "Of course, we love you guys like family. And you know, Lance and I are great baby sitters."

"I'll remember that" Daegal said, grinning lazily. "Yeah, we can open presents."

During this time, we received a lot of baby clothes, a pram, bottles, teethers, swaddle packs, baby towels, and a ton of other things that I had never even thought to buy. A gift that made me question everything was a breastfeeding pillow, obviously from Morgana.

In bed that night, I turned to my boyfriend. "Can men breastfeed?"

He nodded, resting his elbows on my chest. "Yeah, but it's really painful apparently. And not every guy can do it."

"Can you do it?" I asked, before asking a different question. "Would you even want to?"

"Of course I would" he answered immediately. "Like I've said before, I want what's best for Oliver. I want him to be healthy and breastfeeding is the best thing. As for the ability, I don't know yet. My body hasn't started lactating, so no."

I frowned, kissing him. "And how do you give birth?"

He groaned, burying his face in my neck. "I'm getting a Caesarian."

"And you still want another kid after that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure" he huffed, the warm air tickling my neck. "And you already said I have to wait a year after Oliver is born, so I have time to think."

I pulled away to press my lips to his again, parting his lips and slipping my tongue into his mouth. He let out a loud moan, threading his hands through my hair as his mouth moved lazily against mine. He pulled away to press kisses along my jaw. "Can we have sex?"

I let out a breathy groan. "Well, who am I to deny a pregnant man?"

*

"I'm too tired for work" Daegal groaned one morning, further along in his pregnancy. He slowly rolled over to face me, pulling away from the spooning position we had previously been in. "Oliver was kicking me in the ribs all night and I couldn't sleep."

I frowned, kissing the top of his head, feeling his soft hair against my cheek. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You were asleep" he pointed out, letting out a gentle yawn. "You couldn't have done anything anyway, and there was no point in keeping the both of us up all night."

"Well, I guess you should call in sick then" I suggested, grabbing his phone off the bedside table for him. "Here, ring Arthur."

"What if he gets angry? I've gone home early a lot" he said, still accepting the device into his hands and sitting up.

"You haven't taken a day off in ages, you're giving birth in eleven weeks, and you didn't sleep" I pointed out. "He'll understand and if he doesn't, I'll talk to him."

He nodded, dialling a number. "You're right. Also, I think I'll be able to breastfeed now."

"What are you talking-oh" I said, looking down at his shirt to see two wet patches around his nipples. I nodded. "Oh, good. You wanted that to happen, right?"

"Yeah, I'm happy" he said, smiling lazily. He pressed the phone to his ear. "Yeah, hey, Arthur. It's me."

I got out of bed, not bothering to listen to the rest of their conversation, getting ready for a shower. When Daegal hung up, he turned to me. "Arthur said to tell you that he'll talk to you when you get to work."

"Great, I wonder what I did this time" I said, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, you go back to sleep and I'll go have a shower. I'll see you around five thirty."

He leaned up to kiss me before snuggling back under the covers. "Alright, have fun. Love you."

"Love you too" I replied, kissing his forehead.

When I got to work, Morgana frowned. "Where's Daegal?"

"He wasn't feeling well" I said, simply. "He called in sick so it's not like he just didn't show up."

"Oh, is he okay?" Gwen rushed out, sounding very concerned.

I laughed, settling down at my desk and opening my laptop. "Yeah, he's fine. It's just that the baby was kicking against his ribs all night, so he didn't sleep."

"See, it's not good to get pregnant" Gwaine told Lance, nodding. "Don't get Gwen pregnant, we need her on the team and we can't have her missing."

"Exactly" Leon agreed, laughing. "And honestly, I think we'll all miss Daegal once he leaves too. He makes great coffee."

I shrugged. "Well, he's still with me. Anyway, you don't have to worry, he's not planning on leaving anytime soon. He hates not being able to do things. He's probably only going to stop in about two months because he's getting a c-section in eleven weeks."

"Oh, I'm going to miss him" Morgana said, pouting. "Please tell me we'll be allowed to see him and the baby again."

"Of course you guys will" I said, grinning. "He loves you all, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"One other thing" she began, making me nervous. "Can I make the birth announcements for Oliver? Like the ones you send to your family and friends?"

I sighed, nodding. "Yes, you can, Morgana."

"Merlin, can you step into my office for a second?" Arthur asked, peeking his head out of the door.

I nodded, standing up and making my way into the office and shutting the door. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to know if Daegal was alright" he answered, sitting down on his luxury office chair. "Is he sick?"

"No, he's fine. He just had the baby against his ribs all night, so he didn't sleep" I explained, frowning. "He was going to come in, but I told him to call in sick. He didn't look very good."

Arthur nodded, playing with a pen. "Yes, well I know he's very far along now and he's quite emotional, so I can understand that he's not feeling well. Just uh, when's he leaving?"

"Eight weeks from now" I answered, shrugging. "I don't know, he's very into the whole not stopping thing."

"Eh, at least he's not stressed" Arthur pointed out. "I just emailed him some work to do from home, if that's okay with you."

I nodded. "I'm sure that'll make him feel less guilty. Anyway, you want some coffee?"

"That would be great" he said, smiling. "Oh, and Merlin?"

I turned around. "Yes?"

"I think I'm going to tell everyone about Leon soon" he said, looking nervous.

"Do it" I said. "Arthur, they'll accept you. You're such an idiot."

He rolled his eyes, laughing. "And you're an asshole, but you don't see me complaining."

At lunchtime, I got a phone call, smiling when I answered the phone. "Hey, baby. How are you?"

"Merlin, I don't feel too good" Daegal rushed out, worrying me.

"Do you need me to come home?" I asked, putting down my food.

Morgana frowned, looking up from her phone. "What's wrong? Is he okay?!"

"Is who okay?" Arthur asked, walking in.

"Sh" I said, turning to them both. "Daegal, what's wrong? Do you need me to come home?"

"No, you stay there" he said quietly. "I think my water broke."

I stood up, taking a deep breath. "You fucking what?!"

"Don't yell!" He shouted. "I'm stressing out! What do I do?!"

I groaned. "Well, you have to call the ambulance. I'll meet you at the hospital, don't panic."

"Don't panic?! Merlin, I'm fucking in labour!" He yelled.

"Okay, sorry, sweetheart" I said, in a soothing voice as I grabbed my bag. "I have to let you go, but I'm on my way. I'll be there in like ten minutes, yeah?"

"Okay, I love you" he said, sounding terrified.

"I love you too" I said, hanging up.

"Wait, Merlin!" Morgana yelled. "What's going on?"

I sighed, turning around. "Daegal's water broke, I need to go."

"Shit, have fun" Arthur said, shaking his head. "Wait, no. He's only twenty nine weeks."

"I know, I don't know if the baby's going to make it out" I said, frowning as I left.

When I got to the emergency section of the hospital, Daegal was a mess. "And Merlin, they said I have to get a c-section now. I don't want our baby to die."

"Sh, it's okay, sweetheart" I said, kissing his forehead. "They're just trying to help you, alright? There's nothing else we can do."

"Sir, your baby still has a chance" a nurse pointed out, shaking his head as he hooked my boyfriend up to some tubes. "Actually, there's a 90% chance he'll survive. But of course, that's not taking into account the long lasting health problems they-"

"Hey, thank you!" I interrupted him, sighing and squeezing Daegal's hand. "Don't worry, the both of you will be alright."

A man walked in, putting on some gloves. "I'm doctor Smith. I'll be one of your surgeons. Alright, Daegal, you'll be awake while we perform the c-section, but you'll be numb from the waist down."

He nodded, squeezing my hand. "Yeah, okay. That's alright."

The doctor looked at me, smiling. "And what about you, Dad? You staying?"

Daegal looked up at me, eyes wide. "You are staying with me, right?"

I frowned. I seriously did not want to watch my boyfriend's stomach be sewn open and my baby be taken out of it. I nodded. "Yeah, of course I'm staying."

"Great" the doctor smiled. "Scrubs are right outside."

*

"Hello?" I asked, answering the phone and letting out a yawn.

"How's Daegal? What happened?" Arthur rushed out into the phone.

"He's asleep right now" I said, sipping my coffee and taking a seat at one of the tables in the hospital cafeteria. "The c-section went great. I was not prepared for it at all though. I thought I would've had more time to mentally prepare myself, but apparently not."

"Oh, good" he replied. "How's the baby?"

"Oh, Oliver's good actually. We weren't sure if he was going to be okay" I said. "They've taken him in to do checks and stuff though, so he's not with us right now. I just really wanted a coffee, so I'm in the cafeteria."

"I'm so happy for you guys" he said, laughing. "Is he cute?"

"Yeah, he's really small" I grinned. "So small."

He chuckled. "Yeah, well he was 29 weeks. Anyway, send me a picture or something when you get the chance. I should get going though."

"Yeah, and I need to go check on Daegal" I said. "I'll see you soon."

"Tell him I say congratulations" Arthur said, hanging up.

Once I was done, I got up and walked back into Daegal's private room. I combed my hand through his hair and he moaned, slowly opening his eyes. "Mm, where's Oliver?"

"They're just doing some checks" I said, kissing him. "He needs to be on oxygen right now too, so he's in an incubator."

"I want to see him" he said, cupping my face. "I want to hold him."

I nodded. "I know. I know you do. But for now, we have to wait."

"Do I have to stay in here long?" He asked me, resting his forehead against mine. "I can't stay in here."

"Hi, sorry" a nurse said, stepping into the room. I moved away, giving her space to talk to my boyfriend. "Were you planning on breastfeeding?"

He nodded, sitting up and groaning. "Yeah, why? Am I allowed to feed him?"

She looked down at her board, tapping her pen. "No, you won't be able to feed him, but you can express your milk for us to feed him through tubes."

"Oh, so I can't see him?" He asked slowly.

She shook her head. "Of course, once he has something in his system and is hooked up to everything, you'll be able to hold him. So, are you okay for me to help you pump the milk?"

He nodded. "Of course. As long as I'm helping him out."

"You are, sir" she said, smiling brightly. "And if we start now, you should be able to get to hold him tomorrow?"

"Do you have any idea of how long I'll be in here?" He asked politely, watching the nurse set up the breast pump.

She helped him remove his hospital gown swiftly. "From what I can tell, probably around seven weeks. And during that time, you'll be given lessons on how to take care of preemies. You know, they're a lot different to normal newborns."

"In what ways?" I asked curiously, watching her attach the pump to my boyfriend.

"Well, they're very prone to sickness, get tired easily, need a lot more feeding. Sorry, sweetheart, this might feel a little weird" she said, looking at my boyfriend.

He let out a groan of pain. "Oh wow, that hurts."

"Honey, you don't have to do it if you don't want to" I said, squeezing his hand.

"No, I want to" he said, smiling. "I want to help Oliver."

The nurse nodded. "If it gets too much, just tell me and I'll stop."

*

"Hey, you guys wanna see your baby?" A doctor asked, walking in, a nurse pushing an incubator into the room.

Daegal sat up immediately. "Yes."

"Okay, be really gentle, he's hooked up to a lot of things" the nurse said, lifting Oliver out of the incubator to rest him in Daegal's chest."

My boyfriend let out a whimper. "Oh, Merlin, he's so cute. He looks like you."

"He really is cute" I said, feeling a rush of emotion hit me as I watched my boyfriend kiss my tiny baby's head.

Daegal turned to me. "You want a hold?"

I shook my head. "No, you hold him a little longer. It's probably better for him."

"Your husband's right" the doctor said. "It's best to give the baby as much chest time as you can. It'll help regulate Oliver's body temperature."

Daegal pouted. "When can he hold him? I want Merlin to get a chance too"

The doctor looked down at his watch and turned to the nurse. "Keep the baby with Daegal for half an hour and then let Merlin hold him for a little. After that, put Oliver back in the incubator. I'm late for a meeting."

"Sure thing" the nurse said, smiling and looking down at her watch.

"Have you spoken to anyone?" Daegal asked, still staring down at our son.

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, Arthur rang me while I was getting some coffee. He was happy to hear that both of you are okay."

"He'll probably tell Morgana" he said, laughing.

I looked down at my phone. "Yeah, I've got a lot of congratulations texts."

"Good" he said, lowering his voice. "Merlin, I feel weird."

I moved my head closer to him. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like we don't get to see Oliver. Like he's not ours" he whispered, obviously not wanting the midwife to hear.

"I know, I know, sweetheart" I said, kissing his forehead. "Don't worry, it'll be better once we're at home."

"Yeah, in seven weeks" he pointed out, smiling when Oliver let out a small yawn. "He really does look like you."

I chuckled. "He must be very cute then."

"So cute" he said, leaning up to kiss me again. "You only have two weeks, off right?"

"Yeah" I answered simply. "I have to go back."

He nodded. "So I have to be alone for five weeks in here."

"I can send in my mum to stay with you if you want" I suggested. "And I'll be here on weekends. Maybe Mithian can come visit too."

"Okay" he said, nodding and looking scared. "I just don't want to do this by myself. I don't think I can handle not being allowed to look after my baby."

"You'll be alright" I said, kissing him. "I promise."

Eventually, I was allowed to hold my baby, smiling when he was gently handed into my arms. I felt tears spring to my eyes. "I don't want to let him go."

"I know" Daegal said, tears in his own eyes. "I know."

"It's going to be a long seven weeks" I stated, letting out a small sigh.

*

"Merlin, what the fuck are you doing here?!" Arthur asked when I stepped into the office. "Why are you here?!"

I frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Um, my two weeks leave ended yesterday. Why wouldn't I be here?"

"You must be incredibly thick if you thought we wouldn't give you compassion leave" he groaned. "Merlin, your boyfriend and your baby are in hospital, do you really think I'm going to make you come to work?"

"Well, it's not just that, I need the money" I explained.

"Merlin, why are you here?" Morgana asked confused. "Also, congratulations on Oliver."

"Oh, thank you" I said, smiling. "Well, I thought my parental leave had expired and I want to keep my job, so I showed up."

Morgana nodded slowly. "How many weeks is Daegal in hospital for?"

"He was told seven, but he's been in there for two weeks now" I explained, shrugging.

"Arthur, give him seven weeks compassion leave" she instructed. "That way, he can have a proper two weeks of leave with his family."

"I never like agreeing with Morgana, but she's right" Arthur said to me. "It's hard having a premature baby. You can't see them a lot."

I nodded, getting choked up. "I know. I feel like he's not ours."

"Oh, Merlin" Morgana started, hugging me. "I'm sure it'll get better once you guys take him home and are allowed to properly take care of him."

I smiled. "Thank you so much. I'll definitely take the time off."

"Merlin, I didn't think I'd see you around here" Gwen said, running up to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Well, I won't be here much longer. I'm going to stay with Daegal now" I said, laughing.

When I got back to the hospital, I found my boyfriend watching finding Nemo. "Merlin, you're back! Why're you here?"

I sat down in the chair next to him. "Morgana and Arthur gave me seven weeks compassion leave. Means I'll get two weeks with you and the baby."

"Oh, I'm so happy" he said, kissing me. "I want Oliver. Or sex."

"You know we can't do that here" I said, rolling my eyes. "And Oliver is better off where he is right now."

"Well, he better be because they took so much breast milk this morning" he told me. "Thought they were gonna fall off."

"Aw, I'm so sorry" I said, kissing him again. "You still want another baby?"

He grinned. "Hell yeah. At least I can stand up now. The nurse let me walk down the hallway after breakfast."

"How'd you go?" I asked, smiling.

"Good" he said, grinning. "Mm, only five more weeks until we can go home with Oliver."

"Trust me, it'll go quickly" I said, grabbing his hand gently.

And it did go pretty quickly. Eventually, a week before we were due to take Oliver home, the doctors let Daegal and I go shopping for some 00000 sized clothes as the ones we had bought would've been way too big for him.

Daegal groaned. "I just want to take him home already, it's taking so long."

"It's okay" I said, kissing his forehead as we looked at the clothes. "We'll be alright."

He started crying. "And I just want him to be ours, not the hospitals. Right now it feels like we don't even have a connection to him. All I'm doing is expressing milk for him. I don't know why I'm so emotional, I'm not even pregnant anymore."

I brought him to my chest. "Sh, everyone's emotional when they can't see their baby's. I can promise you now, that eventually, Oliver will be home with you and he'll feel like yours. Like ours."

"Okay" he said, kissing me. "He's growing big, isn't he? Lucky we took a lot of photos."

"Yeah, he's not even a normal newborn size baby yet though" I said, laughing. "Don't worry."

*

When we first took Oliver home, Daegal and I were ecstatic. It meant that we could now take care of him by ourselves. I put the baby carrier down on the dining table and grinned. "Here, you want to take him out?"

"Can you just bring him over to me?" He asked, flopping down on the couch. "I don't know why I'm so tired."

"Probably the breast pumping" I said, lifting Oliver out of the baby carrier and staring at my baby for a few seconds. He was beautiful, and he looked like me, but all I saw in him was a mixture of Daegal and I. Something to show our love for one another. I kissed his forehead before walking over to Daegal and slowly placing him on his chest. "He might need a feed."

Daegal let out a yawn. "Yeah, probably. I'll see if he'll latch, but if he doesn't, I'll just express. You can let some people come over if you want. As long as it's not a large amount of people."

"Are you sure?" I asked as he lifted his shirt.

He nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I know how excited everyone was to see him."

"Alright, I'll call some people" I said, watching as Oliver began to suckle on Daegal's nipple. "Oh, wow, he actually latched on."

"Yeah, that's so weird" my boyfriend replied, laughing. He stroked Oliver's back. "That's okay, it's good that he's quick to latch."

I sat down next to him, watching Oliver who was struggling to breathe as he drank. Daegal sighed, pulling the baby off his chest. "He's drinking too fast, that he can't even breath properly. Now I need to feed him slower. This is so frustrating."

"Sh, it'll be okay. It's not his fault, it's just that he needs a lot more milk than other babies" I pointed out. "Just take your time, sweetheart."

"I love you" he said, letting Oliver begin to suck again.

"I love you too" I said, standing up to call my mum.

My mum, Morgana, Arthur, and Gwen all came over that day. I was slightly upset that Mithian was at work, but I knew she would come over tomorrow. Morgana walked into the house carrying a massive basket. "Oh my god, congratulations, guys."

The four of them walked in at the same time, watching as Oliver rested on Daegal's chest. I grinned. "Thank you."

"Morgana bought a massive hamper" Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "And also, congratulations. It must be good to be home."

"Yeah, it really is" I said, accepting the baby hamper Morgana handed me. "Oh, thank you so much."

Gwen cooed. "Oh, isn't he the smallest thing ever. I've never seen a baby so small."

Daegal nodded, yawning. "Yeah, it's because if he was in my stomach still, he would only be thirty six weeks and babies grow faster in the womb which means he's smaller than a thirty six week foetus."

Morgana grinned. "Can I hold him?"

Daegal nodded. "Yeah, just go wash your hands."

Mum smiled, hugging me. "Oh, he's so cute. And he looks like you, Merlin."

Daegal smiled. "Yeah, that's what I was saying. That's why he's so adorable."

When Morgana returned, she gently lifted Oliver into her own arms. I smiled. "Oh, you shouldn't be too gentle with him. His skin is sensitive so little touches feel weird for him."

Daegal stood up so that he could attach himself to me. "Isn't he just so cute? I still want another baby."

"Oh, yes, have another baby" Mum squealed. "Then Oliver won't be lonely."

"Arthur, you told me that once Oliver was born, he wouldn't want another baby" I said, frowning.

"Well, I'm sorry, it's what I assumed would happen. I've never dated a pregnant guy, nor have I knocked one up" Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

Morgana gasped. "Oh, yeah, and did you know Arthur was dating Leon?"

"Yeah, Arthur told me ages ago" I said. "And I told Daegal too."

"Too bad they weren't as open as Lance and I or we all would've known a lot earlier" Gwen laughed. "Actually, I think Lance might propose. He keeps acting weird."

"It's seems a little early, doesn't it?" Morgana pointed out. "If anyone was to propose, it should be Merlin."

"Yeah, make an honest man out of Daegal" Arthur said, snorting.

Daegal snorted. "I don't need a ring, I already have Oliver. That's the greatest gift Merlin could've given me."

"Really?" Arthur asked. "Sperm is the greatest gift Merlin could've given you? That does sound like something Merlin would be good at."

"Shut up" Daegal said, rolling his eyes. "By the way, when does my parental leave start? Was it from when I went into labour?"

"We'll do what we did for Merlin" Arthur replied. "Basically, we were paying you two while you were in hospital, but I called it compassion leave. From now, we'll count it as leave. So Merlin, you'll start work in two weeks, and Daegal, you have eighteen weeks paid leave right now."

"I want to take a photo right now" Morgana interrupted. "For the birth announcement cards. I'll get them printed and sent to you so that you can send them to everyone you know."

Daegal laughed. "Go for it."

"Well, can you or Merlin hold him for my picture?" She asked, passing Oliver to me.

"Merlin already has him, you can use him" Daegal said, smiling at me lazily.

*

"I'm too tired. Can you check on him?" My boyfriend asked, groaning.

"Of course" I said, kissing his neck and standing up to walk over to the bassinet where Oliver was resting. I lifted him up, resting him on my chest as he cried. "Sh, baby, don't cry."

"Do you reckon he's hungry?" Daegal asked slowly.

I rubbed the baby's back. "Maybe. When did you last feed him?"

"A few hours ago. Yeah, he's probably hungry" he said, groaning. "Oh, there's a bottle of breastmilk in the fridge if you want to go feed him. Otherwise I can feed him now."

"No, you stay here and rest. I'll go feed him the bottle" I said, walking out of the room. My boyfriend deserved some rest, especially when it came to breastfeeding. I knew how painful it was, but he barely complained.

As I walked into the kitchen and heated up the bottle, I smiled when Oliver's cried began to die down. When the bottle was finally warm, I slowly fed it to him, chuckling at how quickly his cries stopped. "See, you were just hungry. You're a beautiful baby boy. Always good for me."

The boy gurgled as he pulled away from the bottle. I smiled down at him, wondering how I got so lucky. I was just happy that Daegal was able to get pregnant, because I wouldn't have had Oliver if he wasn't.

When I carried Oliver back to bed, Daegal turned around. "Was he okay?"

"Yeah, just hungry. I'm putting him down now" I said.

"Mm, did you burp him?" He asked slowly.

I rolled my eyes, placing our baby in the bassinet. "Of course I did. He's all fine now."

"Come snuggle" he said, holding his arms open.

I climbed into bed. "Alright, come here then."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Hey, Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Daegal."


End file.
